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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink What's everyones favorite surf amp?

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This one needs no intro Wink

My surf beast.
image

-Kyle

Beyond The Surf YouTube channel
Beyond The Surf Instagram
The Verbtones @ Instagram
The Verbtones @ Facebook
The Verbtones @ bandcamp

Bassman.

Showmen are classic! I love my Twin Reverb...

image
image

Currently playing a '69 Super Reverb and a RI '63 Vibroverb. Both are nice in different ways. I've been itching to go back to piggy back amps (bassman/showman/bandmaster). Just looking for a deal on one. I sold a '65 Bandmaster about 10 years ago and have been kicking myself ever since.

diceophonic, that showman looks freaking pritsine!! Very nice.

Ryan
The Secret Samurai Website
The Secret Samurai on Facebook

how comes every time someone starts a "what's your favorite ~"-thread, people reply what they own, instead of what they'd like to own? if everyone's so happy with what he's got, how comes we're all buying stuff all the time? Wink Laughing

oh well:
own: '71 bassman with some but not all BF conversions
dream-amp: blond brownface bassman, the one with prescence control. THE amp imo.

showmans: sound great with others, too much power for this little midget Smile

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

WR
how comes every time someone starts a "what's your favorite ~"-thread, people reply what they own, instead of what they'd like to own?

Probably because I haven't found a 'favorite' yet. Endlessly searching for something better.

Ryan
The Secret Samurai Website
The Secret Samurai on Facebook

WR
how comes every time someone starts a "what's your favorite ~"-thread, people reply what they own, instead of what they'd like to own?

WR with all do respect man that's kinda the point how is someone suppost to know what thier favorite guitar or amp etc.. is you need to have owned it or played it or currently own that musical instrument to say for example mine is a Showman I own 1 and play surf through it and I claim it to be my favorite surf amp or wishful thinking or what ever Wink

-Kyle

Beyond The Surf YouTube channel
Beyond The Surf Instagram
The Verbtones @ Instagram
The Verbtones @ Facebook
The Verbtones @ bandcamp

Last edited: Aug 22, 2007 15:18:59

WR
.

showmans: sound great with others, too much power for this little midget Smile

Obviously your drummer is not working hard enough Laughing

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

I definately know that what I own and what my dream amp are two different things all together. I have a 65 deluxe reissue that has issues and a vox ac15 reissue that I like, but isn't the surfiest thing around, even with my reissue reverb tank.

What I'd like to have would be an early 60s blackface bassman and 2x12. I could use it in both of my bands and have plenty of tone and headroom to spare. I actually had a 64 when I was a teenager in the mid 80s. I was using it for a bass amp and it didn't sound good to me with my shitty bass. so I sold it to this rockabilly guy for $100.

Of course if a pristine Showman w/1x15 landed in my lap I wouldn't cry.

Off topic, I know, but does anyone out there have any experience with tube swapping or speaker upgrade with the Fender '65 Deluxe reissue?

The Exotics 1994-Current
The Chickenshack - www.wmse.org
www.thedoghouseflowers.com
www.uptownsavages.com

Of all the amps I've played through (not very many), I think my favorite would have to be the Tremolux.

WR
how comes every time someone starts a "what's your favorite ~"-thread, people reply what they own, instead of what they'd like to own? if everyone's so happy with what he's got, how comes we're all buying stuff all the time? Wink Laughing

I'd like one of Dario's 'Surfer' amps with a twin 15" cabinet and the reverb tank to go thanks.

I'm with Wannes and the brown Bassman. 6G6 circuit. Tremolux(what is the plural, Tremoli/Tremolae?) are pretty great as well, but not my dream.

Showman's aren't that much louder. Their lacking the extra gain stage is not appealing to me either.

And people don't have to have played an amp that much to know what they want. People spout out how great Showmans are all the time even though they don't own one. I used to be one of these people.

I can't believe it, no one has said the vibro king???? I love my twin reverb custom 15", and my original 65 super, but I would love to have a vibro king with the reverb tank on board....

Old #1....it's a 68 Dual Showman Reverb chopped and recoverd blonde with a Dan Torres full house kit and a Dual Showman cab (24 x 36 x 11.5) with two EV-15L's. This amp has been my all time fave for 10 years....ed

Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps?

JakeDobner
Showman's aren't that much louder. Their lacking the extra gain stage is not appealing to me either.

Bandmaster, Showman, Bassman, Tremolux etc. do have a 2nd gain stage in the normal channels twice as loud as the vibrato channel in your case with the Bassman the Bass instrument channel is louder @ 4 on the dial but breaks way sooner then your Normal channel, what I did with my '64 was I moded the Bass instrument channel's "Deep switch" and changed out the cap so instead of a "Deep switch" I made into a "Bright switch" and also changed out 2 tone caps in the 2nd gains stage so I can get some awesome highs with more color to the tone and less break up at higher volumes.

Check this out a good example Arrow I was floored at how much louder the normal channel in my '62 Bandmaster is then the vibrato channel (twice as loud, same concept on the Showman and other blackface/silverface combo or head amps they all have the same deal in common, a 2nd gain stage in the Normal channel.

Here's my levels on my '62 bandmaster

(2nd gain stage) Normal channel volume is @ 4 1/2 and it's twice as loud then the vibrato channel
Vibrato channel volume I have to turn it up at least to 7 just at the tip of breaking up but it gets fatter.

Same deal with my Showman
Twice as loud on the normal channel volume @ 3 1/2
Vibrato channel volume @ 5

-Kyle

Beyond The Surf YouTube channel
Beyond The Surf Instagram
The Verbtones @ Instagram
The Verbtones @ Facebook
The Verbtones @ bandcamp

I don't think it's a matter of which sounds best per se, but very much what's useful to you and where is the sweet spot. I dig the crap out of showmans when dick dale plays them, or when the nebulas fill a 150 people hall w/no PA with a bunch of showmens. I just dont have any use for that kind of volume, and I seriously dislike very loud volumes. Ive left concerts because of it. I used to have a 4x6L6 amp (homebrew) and it never sounded good because I couldn't put the volume past 3/4.
and then there's speaker efficiency. face it, JBL's have lousy efficiency - though they were loud at the time. there's no doubt in my mind that a bassman with a pair of highly efficient Jensen neos will blow a showman with a single JBL right out of the water. I haven't A/B'd them, but Ive heard them both, and it's what theory dictates - though Im the first to admit that reality doesn't always conform to theory.

anyway, that's just a bunch of Blah Blah what Im saying is, "fave amp" is not just a matter of tone, but a matter of tone at the right volume. the only amp know that has consistant tone at evry volume is the crate powerblock Very Happy greatest gadget that, but hardly my fave surf amp. And really, it doesn't make much sense to talk amp but not speakers imo.

that's all I wanted to add really!

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

I have a few amps that I really like for surf - and beyond.

A black face mid sixties SHOWMAN with the 15" JBL D-130 cabinet. For cranking a bit louder - a DUAL SHOWMAN with two 15" D-130 JBLs. BTW.. I like LOUD .. It is rock 'n' roll after all. JBLs may not be efficient - but they are built like tanks and they CRANK clean sound.

For really bright sounds - the very often neglected (WHY??!!) SUNN amps. I have a Sunn Solarus that knocks the hell out of some boutique amps I've owned - EL34s and 2x12 Jensens, I think. Back in the sixties, a Mosrite guitar and a Sunn amp was T-H-E hot setup - still is in my book.

And - just recently acquired with skill and luck - A Silvertone 1484 2X12 - an edgier sound - but what a sound!

I'm playing with the idea of getting an AC-30 based on what I've heard of IVANP's sound.

  • JM

Hans from the Sand Devils plays a vibro-king and it freakin' rocks! What I'd like to know, though, is what makes a Slacktone Amp a Slacktone Amp! At Dusty's 50th B-Day party in July Dave Wronski mentioned that an amp builder may be making a few of the Slacktone Amps for possible sale. HOLY CRAP, that'd be cool to have. But I need more money...

Buy my CDS so I can buy one when the come out, if ever?!?!!?!?!

Paul The Pyronaut

http://www.thepyronauts.com

Hey Johnny Mosrite, I've got a Silvertone 1484 as well. Mine is all original except for one power tube, inc both original Jensens.
How does your 1484 do in the volume dept? I can't use mine unmiked because when it's maxed out it's not only totally overdriven (beautifully I might add) but it's just not loud enough to keep up with our drummer. If I want to be heard over the drummer for a solo or whatnot it's a lost cause.
Just curious, at this point mine just sounds great for home use, and looks cool as hell too!
I'm actually considering getting different speakers to coax some more volume out it.
-Ted

Pyronauts
Hans from the Sand Devils plays a vibro-king and it freakin' rocks!

The Vibro King indeed sounds good, however, you heard it (and played it) after the amp tech modified the reverb circuit to be more similar to the outboard unit...before that the reverb wasn't very surfy. The tone of the amp itself is great, it's based on a 59 Bassman, BTW.
We don't have any volume problems with it (meanning Hans can keep up with our drummer).

Ran

The Scimitars

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